This invention is directed to a young tree support which supplies support to the lower portion of the trunk of a young tree.
Nursery trees are grown close together in containers so as to produce a tall tree in a short growing time. Young trees are sold from the nursery when they are about 6 feet tall. They are usually in a 5-gallon pot and have a trunk about the thickness of a man""s thumb. There is sufficient heavy branching and foliage at the top of the tree so that, when separated from the group, the tree is not self-supporting. It is conventional to plant such trees between two tall stakes which hold the crown of the tree in place until the trunk is sufficiently strong to support the crown. These supporting stakes are traditionally as tall as the crown. It has been found that flexure of the trunk helps the trunk to gain strength to support the crown. The full-height support does not encourage gain in strength of the trunk.
In order to aid in the understanding of this invention, it can be stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a young tree support which is comprised of an elongated flexible polymer member. The first end of the member is anchored to the ground close to the trunk. The flexible member is wound up the trunk, preferably to a height which is between one-third and one-half the distance from the ground to the crown. The supporting member is pulled to the windward and is anchored away from the tree. The connection between the member and the second anchor is preferably resilient. The member is preferably a tube.
It is, thus, a purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a young tree support which is of simple construction and ease of installation to adequately support the lower portion of the trunk of a young tree so that some flexure is permitted to encourage trunk growth.
It is another purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a young tree support which is resilient in the way in which it wraps around the tree trunk so as to avoid bark damage during growth.
It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a young tree support which is resiliently connected to a second anchor on the windward side.
Other purposes and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portion of the specification, the claims and the attached drawings.